White velvet cake is a soft, delicate cake with a hint of buttermilk and vanilla
White velvet cake is red velvet cake's pretty little sister. Red velvet cake has been around for ages and probably one of the most popular cake flavors of all time. But not everyone want's to eat red food coloring or maybe they have special dietary requirements that don't allow them to eat red food dye. Whatever the reason, options are always good.
A lot of people wonder if you can just leave out the red food color and get white velvet and the answer is yes, kinda. You also need to leave out the cocoa powder. All the things that make red velvet cake delicious can be left in.
sidenote... the more I spell the word "velvet" the weirder it looks... velvet. velvet VELVET. Starts to look wrong.
But anyway...
What is white velvet cake?
White velvet cake is basically red velvet without the red. It's a buttermilk cake base that results in a VERY soft, fluffy and moist cake. If you leave out all the color and the cocoa powder you have yourself a nice white velvet cake. Neat huh. The buttermilk gives this southern inspired cake it's rich and velvety texture.
Traditional red velvet cake has a little bit of cocoa powder in it. Some will tell you that red velvet is actually chocolate cake (wrong) or that it's just white cake with red food color added (so wrong). The cocoa powder does add a little bit of flavor to the cake but not enough to call it chocolate so when you leave it out, it doesn't affect the flavor that much.
This same light, fluffy batter technique is what inspired my baked donut recipe - if you love this cake you will love those too.
What's so great about white velvet?
So one of the BEST things about this recipe, in my opinion, is the texture. The crumb is soooo soft and well... velvety! I love how it looks when you cut it. Soft and pillowy. It's like magic!
What Is Buttermilk?
Buttermilk is basically fermented milk that has gone sour. I know it sounds weird but it actually tastes amazing in baked goods. The tanginess in buttermilk adds a great flavor and the acidity in buttermilk actually breaks down gluten so baked goods are more tender than if you used regular milk.
I mean, there's a reason recipes like "buttermilk pancakes" and "buttermilk" biscuits always seem better than just... pancakes. Ya know?
Don't have any buttermilk? You can make it! Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk, stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You'll see the milk begin to thicken and curdle. Voila. Homemade buttermilk.
How does white velvet cake taste like?
White velvet cake tastes so amazing BECAUSE of the buttermilk! It just adds a little tang and zip that for some reason your tastebuds just love.
The crumb is super fine like my white cake recipe or my vanilla cake recipe and is definitely a great cake for flavor to just bake up for a special occasion.
What frosting goes with white velvet cake?
The traditional frosting that goes with velvet cake is ermine frosting. Ermine frosting is made by cooking sugar with a bit of flour and then whipping it into softened butter.
Ermine frosting is super creamy, not too sweet and tastes amazing with white velvet cake. In my opinion it tastes very similar to a swiss-meringue buttercream but without the eggs so it's a nice alternative if you have an egg allergy.
How do you make blue velvet cake?
To make blue velvet cake, simply add in 1 oz of electric blue food color (for a light blue cake) or royal blue food color (for darker blue) to the base white velvet recipe.
For a more natural blue, add 1-2 teaspoon of natural cocoa powder ( not dutched. I like Hershey's special dark) The cocoa powder will tone down the bright blue just a little so it's not so VIVID and make a nice natural blue. Or if you want a really bright blue you can leave the cocoa powder out.
Blue velvet is a great cake for gender reveals, birthday cakes or just because blue velvet is awesome.
Can you can make velvet cake with different colors?
Yes! If you want a different color of velvet cake then simply replace the food color with any other color you like. You can do a white velvet rainbow, ombre or go with neon. The color possibilities are endless!
I made this lovely green velvet cake for st patricks day! I added in the cocoa powder for a more natural shade of green and used 1 oz of leaf green americolor food color gel.
What about black velvet cake?
Ok so TECHNICALLY I have another recipe called black velvet cake that does not use this velvet cake base. Why? Because it's really a chocolate cake. It doesn't have any buttermilk in it, vinegar or food coloring! So why even bother calling it black velvet?
Well it's got a nice velvet-y texture. In the future I may experiment further with a true black velvet recipe working from the base velvet recipe but upping the cocoa powder. Too many cake ideas, so little time.
Try my vanilla cupcakes that have the same velvet texture as this white velvet cake, thanks to the reverse creaming method.
Related Recipes
Rainbow Cake
Green Velvet Cake
Pink Velvet Cake
Black Velvet Cake
Red Velvet Cake
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Whisk Attachment
- Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
White Velvet Cake Ingredients
- 14 oz cake flour
- 13 oz granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 5 oz egg whites room temperature
- 4 oz vegetable oil
- 10 oz buttermilk room temperature or slightly warm
- 6 oz butter unsalted and softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Ermine Frosting Ingredients
- 14 oz granulated sugar
- 3 oz flour
- 16 oz whole milk
- 16 oz unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and measured by weight so that the ingredients mix and incorporate correctly. Heat oven to 335º F/168º C — 350º F/177º C. I tend to use lower setting to prevent my cakes from getting too dark on the outside before the inside is done baking.
- Prepare two 8"x2" (or three 6") cake pans (with a little leftover batter) with cake goop or preferred pan spray. Fill your pans about ¾ of the way full of batter.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of .a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix 10 seconds to combine.
- Combine ½ cup of the milk and the oil together and set aside.
- Combine the remaining milk, egg whites and vanilla together, whisk to break up the eggs and set aside.
- Add your softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until mixture resembles a coarse sand (about 30 seconds). Add in your milk/oil mixture and let mix until dry ingredients are moistened and then bump up to med (setting 4 on my kitchenaid) and let mix for 2 minutes to develop the cakes structure. If you don't let your cake mix on this step your cake could collapse.
- Scrape your bowl and then reduce speed to low. Add in your egg white mixture in three batches, letting the batter mix for 15 seconds between additions.
- Scrape down the sides again to make sure everything has incorporated then pour into prepared pans. Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly but the cake has not begun to shrink yet from the sides of the pan. IMMEDIATELY TAP PAN FIRMLY on countertop once to release the steam from the cake. This stops the cake from shrinking.
- Let cakes cool for 10 minutes inside the pan before flipping them out. The cake will shrink a bit and that is normal. Flip onto a cooling rack and let cool fully. I chill my cakes before handling or you can wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them to trap moisture in the cake. Thaw on the countertop while still wrapped before frosting.
Ermine Frosting Instructions
- Whisk together your flour and sugar in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes to toast the flour.
- Slowly add in your milk, whisk to combine and bring your heat to medium-high. Whisk continuously until mixture is thickened and pudding like. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool.
- Add your butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk on high until light and fluffy. Slowly add in your cooled flour mixture one spoon at a time as you whip. Incorporating slowly insures a smooth buttercream.
- Add in your vanilla and salt until everything is creamy and then you can frost your cooled cake.
Alie says
If I want to freeze my cake layers and also have the frosting premade, what would be the best way to go about that? Make the frosting completely and then refrigerate until ready to use? Just make it through the addition of the milk and then finish making it right before frosting?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Make your frosting and keep it refrigerated until a few hours before you need it. bring it to room temp and stir with the paddle attachment until smooth and frost your defrosted cakes
Lilly says
I live in the uk and we don’t have cake flour here but i think we do have something that it very similar to it. i just wanted to know what exactly cake flour is and what it should be like so i know for sure if it’s like cake flour or not.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Cake flour is low protein flour, much like pastry flour
isabella davis says
thank one and all for their input and especially Liz for all of her time and energy helping us create these wonderful cakes...so happy I came across this site!! THE BEST!!
Diana says
The cake looks moist and delicious. I will definitely try this weekend. Hope it turns out well.
Jacqui says
This looks so good! I want to cover finished cake with coconut! What do you think? Also, can I use coconut flour instead of cake flour?
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can definitely cover with coconut, toasted tastes the best. Using coconut flour instead of regular flour however, will not work 🙂
LaHonda says
Can I make this in a 9x11 pan? If this has already been asked and answered I’m sorry I didn’t see the post.
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can make any cake recipe in any size pan you would like 🙂 Just for future reference.
Angela S says
Great recipe! I was a little disappointed that my cake wasn't as white as I expected. I followed the recipe and even used clear vanilla. I'm guessing that it was because of the butter. So I call it a light velvet cake?. Quick question, have you ever considered making a video on how to make the frosting? I tried making it a few years ago and it didn't work out. Never tried again. Hopefully I can find something on YouTube because the frosting looks amazing. Thanks again for sharing!
Ryah B says
I loved this recipe! It’s moist and delicious but definitely denser than expected.
I tried it twice and neither time did I get that beautiful white color as is pictured so not sure what I did wrong. I’m an avid baker so I’m pretty confident with my methods. Overall the cake is really great and I’ll be using it for a 4-tier wedding cake as it keeps its shape well.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Could be the type of butter you are using, I'm using darigold most of the time which is quite light. It's never going to be PURE white though, it's a slight off-white
Gina says
A really delicious cake, but I made it twice and both times it puffed up beautifully then fell. The second time it got dense. Both time all ingredients were room temp. I measure everything. Baking power is new.
The first time I mistakenly added all the eggs at once and it came better. Maybe I over baked, especially the second time. Any thoughts? (I think my oven temp was lower, at 335 the first time and at 359 the second.) Anyway- the cakes were enjoyed both times.
The frosting is ABSOLUTELY DIVINE!!! Oh my god!!!
Kira says
Hello! Quick question, how long does it typically take for the sugar and flour mixture to cool?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I put mine in the fridge overnight
Mblend says
Can this cake be made with skim milk instead of whole milk?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Skim buttermilk?
Carol says
Can I use canola oil in place of the vegetable oil
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can
Ashley says
I love this cake! If my sides are pulling away from the edge and the top is pretty brown before the cake is done in the middle, is that just a matter of oven temp being too high? Thanks!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Sounds like your cake is too close to the top of your oven
Jeanne says
Well I just made this cake and I did see that you needed a scale which I don't have in my kitchen . So the batter was very liquidy. Not sure what it's going to be ....are you British is this why the oz instead of cups.
The Sugar Geek Show says
It was most likely mis-measurement. I am not British, I just believe in baking precisely so that ingredients are not wasted.
Angela says
Will one recipe be enough for a 9×13 if not how many recipes do I need to make
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes one recipe is enough for a sheet cake pan